Combination chopper, windrower and crusher



March 25, 1958 w. M. TAYLOR 2,827,745

COMBINATION CHOPPER, WINDROWER ND CRUSHER Filed Dec. 22, 1955 IN VEN TOR. W. M. TAYLOR United States Patent C COMBINATIN CHPPER, WINDRQWER AND CRUSHER William M. Taylor, Gttumwa, iowa, assigner to Heere Manufacturing C0., Dubuque, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Application December 22, 1955, Serial No. 554,394

11 Ciairns. (Cl. Sti-1) This invention relates to a harvester and more particularly to a harvester incorporating combined structure and functions to serve as a chopper, windrower and Crusher.

Crops, especially those used for forage, may be harvested in many ways, but ultimately they should be reduced to such lengths to permit easy storage and convenient and palatable feeding to livestock. it is conventional practice to harvest crops, for example, by means including a cutter bar of the mower type, which is used principally in grasses and like crops. The machine includes a conveyor by means of which the severed crops are fed to chopping means which in turn delivers the crops to a trailing vehicle drawn in tandem with the harvester. More recently, there has been developed a harvester having a crop-collecting means of the rotary type, which functions not only to sever the crops from the ground but to lift and throw the crops rearwardly into a blower for ultimate discharge to a trailing vehicle, generally in in the manner described above, but with the important exception that the over-all machine is considerably simpler, since many of the moving parts of older machines are eliminated. Although machines of this character are suitable for the purposes intended, they lose some of their ilexibility for operation on crops of other types, for example crops that are not intended for immediate storage. ln such cases, itis desirable that the crops be returned to the ground after harvesting, so that they will have time to cure. It is only with substantial modification that machines referred to above can be modified to permit the return of the harvester crops to the ground. As an expedient to the curing of crops, it is not unknown to utilize conditioning means, usually in the form of crushing rollers or equivalent devices, for macerating or otherwise treating the crops to accelerate curing thereof.

it is an important object of the present invention to provide a universal machine having capabilities adequate to permit the use of the machine in the handling of a wide variety of crops and to afford a wide variety of end results. For example, the machine may be used as a conventional rotary chopper, gathering the crops and feeding the crops to a conveyor for delivery by a blower or the like to a trailing vehicle. The machine may also be used to return the harvested crops directly to the ground in a relatively wide swath, the crops being first caused to be passed through suitable crushing means or an equivalent conditioning device for accelerating curing.

As a further feature, the machine makes it possible to V confine the'relatively wide swath of crops into a narrow windrow. The invention features means in a single machine for selectively obtaining operation along the lines noted above. It is an important object of the invention to utilize a simple design embodying known principles, combined in such manner as to produce wholly novel results in combination, yet the benets of each mechanism in operation by itself are not sacriced.

The foregoing and other important objects and desirable features inherent in and encompassed by the invention willpbeccrue apparent as a preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed, by way of example, in the ensuing specication and accompanying sheet of drawings, the several gures of which will be described irnmediately below.

Fig. 1 is a plan view, with portions broken away, of a tractor and harvester interconnected in transport relationship.

Fig. 2v is an enlarged fragmentary section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view, on a reduced scale, showing the operative relationship between a tractor, the harvester and a trailing vehicle or receptacle.

in Fig. 3, the tractor is designated generally by the letter T, and the letters H and W respectively indicate the harvester and a trailing wagon, the latter being typical of a receptacle conventionally used with harvesters in the gathering of forage crops.

The tractor may be of conventional construction, comy prising a longitudinal or fore-and-aft body 10 carried on right and left hand traction wheels 11 and 12, and including a drawbar 13 by means of which a draft connection may be made to a tongue 14 of the harvester H. The tongue 14 is conventionally pivoted at 15 to a subfrarne i6 which comprises part of the mobile frame 17 of the harvester, the mobility of the harvester frame being eifected by right and left hand ground wheels 18 and i9, respectively. Because of the pivot of the tongue 14 at 15, the lateral relationship between the tractor and the harvester may be varied. For example, in transport relationship, as shown in Fig. l, it is desirable that the harvester trail the tractor so as to narrow the transverse dimension of the unit, whereas in operating relationship (Fig. 3) the harvester is oset to the right of the tractor so as to operate on crops growing in the field just to the right of the right hand wheels of the tractor. The trailer or wagon W is normally connected directly behind the harvester, the harvester frame 17 including a wagon hitch, as at 2t), for connection to the draft tongue 21 of the wagon. These details are in general well known and are deemed to require no elaboration.

The harvester has a relatively substantial transverse dimension or width, established by the tread or transverse spacing between the wheels 18 and i9, and the harvester as a whole has right and left hand opposite sides R and L, respectively, spaced transversely apart. The subframe 16, as well as auxiliary structure not important here, serves to mount on the frame 17 crop-receiving means 23 having a housing including an outlet in the form of a rearwardly and upwardly extending discharge spout 24. As shown in Fig. 3, the spout extends to the rear and discharges into the trailer or wagon W. The housing 23 may contain a conventional delivery fan or blower (not shown) for impelling the crops from the housing to the wagon via the spout 24. A representative arrangement is depicted in the U. S. patent to Tuft 2,507,742, which patent also shows one type of harvester in which the crops are severed from the ground, conveyed to a combination blower and chopper and delivered by the blower and chopper to a trailing vehicle via a discharge spout like the spout 24 here. It will be noted in the patent that the blower in the housing contains knives for chopping up the crops. In a harvester of the type disclosed in the instant case, a simple blower without knives may be used, because the picking up of the crops from the ground entails a chopping operation that makes unnecessary a chopping operation in the housing 23. These features will be brought out below.

The right hand side of the housing 23 has a crop inlet opening (not visible) which is fed by conveyor means 2S. This conveyor means is transverse as respects the line of advance and comprises an elongated 'auger trough 26 and an auger 27 therein. The trough 26 is l Patented Mar. 2555,` 1958` Y .1. 2.82am

Y open at its top to provide a crop inlet 28. Y The Yauger Y is rotated, by means to be presently described, Yin such direction as to feed crops to the left and into the blower housing 23, it being understood that the inlet opening 28v istransverselycoextensive in Ylength with the'le'ngth of the trough 26'iai1d, therefore, co-extensiverin length with theransverse'dirnension of crop-collecting means; desig-Y Vnate/:d in its entirety by the numeralY 29, on the main frame 1.7 ahead of therco'n'veyor means 25. The cropvcolle'c'tir'ig'V means includesV Aright and'left Yhand upright walls 3Q and 31 which afford right and left hand'supptsffo opposite'ends of a transverse rotor shaft 32, which shaftieiects the central axis of a rotor Y33 ofthe radial .ar'm'type In the simplelillustration shown here, the arms `321 are'pivoted-,at 35 on the hub of the Yrotor and therdirection of rotation of the rotor, as illustrated by th'egarr'ow" 3 6is such'that crops picked up or removed from-theiield are thrown generally upwardly ahead of However, the'dire'ction of movement Vof the crops is whereas, when `the section 39 is in its secondV or lowered Y statns, the crop trajectory 50 is intercepted and the cropsV are delivered exclusively to the conveyor means 25. The Y Y position of the roof section 39 depends onrthertype of If the crops are to be collected l crop treatment desired.

Y by the blower housing V23 for delivery to thewagon'W,

Y crops are to berreturned to the `ground after conditioning ,confined and directed by roof means, indicated in its entirety-*by thernumeral 37, so that the crops Vare caused tol move upwardlyVV andrrearwardly. The roof means Y comprises a transverse forward section 38 directed upwardly and rearwardly in the upper front quadrant of the Yrotorso asto cause the crops ot movie in the generalY direction of the conveyor means 25. The' roof means also includes a bi-positionable rear or second roof sec- .tion 39, selectively positionable to occupy eitherV a rst status-for causing the crops to pass to crushing means 4S) orrin a-,second status to canse the crops to enter directly. through'the conveyor means inlet 23. Vto be conveyed to the'leftbythe auger 27. The first status ofthe rear roof section 39 is illustrated inV dotted lines in Fig. 2 and t its second status is illustrated in full lines in the same gure. fMovability of thesection 39 relative to thel sec-Y Vtion Sis preferably accomplished `by a transverse hinge at` 41. A pair of means, illustrated generally as lock elements'42 and 43, may be used for retaining therespective positions ofthe section 39. Y

The crushing means' comprises a pair extensive with thejlen'gthfof the conveyor means 25.

' The arrangement of the Arolls V44 is such that they form a transverse erop-receiving biteY or inlet` 45 Vat a level above thev conveyor meansV inlet 2S, andl therdirection of rotationYof the rollsf(arrows 46) is suchV that cropsare Y except for the provision of a relatively narrow outlet or the ful-line positionfof the section 39 isrutilized.V If the by the VCrusher means 40, then VtheV by-passrof the conveyor means 25 is achievedby positioning of the section 39 in 'its dotted linestatus. A shelf45 extends forwardly below the lower roll 44 and facilitates crop entry Y to the inlet 45. The front edge of this shelf is rolled and establishes the lock element past which the Vrear edge of the roof section 39 can snap for lock and release thereof.` Y

Operation of the machine as a crop conditioner for return of thercrops to the ground has two optional phases',

Vnamely the crops may be returned vto the ground as a relatively wide Astreamrlarrow.V 51) Yor they may be' .re-V tunedto the ground in a narrow windrow 53 through the' intermediary of windrowing means 54. Y The windrowng 1 means is positioned directly behind the conveyor means 25 Yand directly below the erusher rolls v44. The windrow-V ing means comprises la trough 55V having an upper open top or crop-receiving inlet 56 and a closed bottom 57,

discharge spout 5S. The bottomV 57'of the trough is`in'V clined tothe horizontal so that'it slopes downwardly,

to the rear and to the leftjthe shape of thertrough thus affording means for narrowing the stream of crops from the width of the windrowing means opening 56 to the ,Y widthgof the exit of the spout 58 so as to aiord the narrow windrow 5'3. The Yrelative widths of the trough proper and the spout 53 may be varied at will. T hat' shown ismerely representative. Y

Whether or not theV crushed or conditioned crops are Y delivered to the ground as a wide swath or as Ya narrow Voffcorr'ugated rolls `4,4,havingV their axes parallel and their lengthco# dischargedthrough a rear outlet` 47, or are ejected in the Y pathvndieatedgenerallyV by the arrow 4S, which path of ejection is clear of the conveyor; means 25.V

' Withgthe roofsection 39 in the dotted line position (Fig. 2), or' removed altogether, the roof section k38v is suli'icientto confine the movement of the crops in a rear.- ward'trajectory 50 such that thecrops pass in a relatively wide stream directly intof the inlet of the Crusher rolls 44., As these'Y 'rolls rotate, the crops pass. there-V through from front to rear andY are'e'jected in the Vpath.

represented by the'arrow 4S.V Sincethe rotorV 3?(dot-V 1 ted linesfFi'g. V1) is of'relatively 'wide dimens-ion, `and .since thecrushing rolls 44 are Vcci-extensive in length with that' dimension, the crops are picked* up from the ground infa relatively wide swath and are conveyed Vrear-Y wardly byy they action of the rotorinV a stream having Vthe Y Y same Vwidth' as the. swath, -after which the-crops Vpass through `the crushing rollsrin a strearn'ofthe samewidth and are. ejected` .at 4S to-dropY to the ground-(arrow 51') as a crushed or leonditioned swath for curingonfthe.

" ground before being subsequently picked upV inraV future operation.' Whenfthe section 39 is in the full-line position of Fig. 2,Y theV trajectory 5t) is valtered and the crops are deflected downwardly andrearwa'rdly (arrowrZ) di-V Vrectly through the conveyor'means inlet VV28. In other Words, wheny the roof section 39 is Vin the dotted line windrow .at 53 depends upon the position or status of'a' Y control/"device or deiiector' 59.' Vln :the prefered embodi-V ment illustrated, thede'ilector 59 is hinged Yat 66' to' a. rear upper partof the windowing means 54 and is capable Y of occupying a rstrst'atu'sV as shown in fulllines in Fig. 2.Y ora'seicond status or position as shown" in dotted lines inY Fig. 2. When the shield or deector 59`is'in` the full-line Y position, it' maybe retained in .plac'eyb'y any appropriate means, .suchas those indicated at' 6i; In this position of the shield, the shield intercepts the rearward'pa'th of Y ejection' (arrow 48) and causes the conditioned orcrushedVV Vcrops to drop directly' intoftheVY .troughV 55, whereby the wide streamV is narrowed sritmo'ves'to theleftard exits to the Vr'e'ar throughI the Ywind'rowing.'r spout 58'. "When" the shield 59 is in its dottedaline positiontfFig, 2),' it does not form an obstacleto the rpath of ejection (arrow 48) and consequently the conditioned crops are ,ejected or discharged rearwardly to follow from thepath 4r8 to the path 5I which is therefore tothe ground ina Y relatively. wide stream orV swath.

Power for driving. the rotating,partspf theil'rarvesterlV i 'i' is Vderived in the 'tirst`v instance-from a power take-off'V shatt' position, the conveyor means 25 is bypassed, or 'the t Y crops are delivered exclusively to the crushing means .40,

'62 on the tractor T; Y typicalipropie'llle'r shaft'63: is

' Yto transmit po'w'er. from ,the power talre-oiv shaft of the Y Y tractor to a gear housing Vtitforlther sub-frame. ofthe i Y harvester. VA' :transverse shaftY 65v Ydrivespnot onlyV the blower (not shownlnin theblowr; housing 23 Ybut also the ,coaxialv auger 27,v a typeof drive thatinfitself isfnt YThe operational characteristics of th'e machine Va tion. r.Features of.; therinventionV noticategorically?-eriuiV` Y meated will undoubtedly occur to those versed in the art, as will many modiiications and alterations in the preferred structure disclosed, all of which may be achieved without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A harvester, comprising: a mobile frame adapted to advance over a held of crops and having opposite transversely spaced apart sides; a crop-receiving means on the frame at one side thereof; transverse conveyor means on the frame and feeding to the crop-receiving means, said conveyor means having an upper forward crop inlet; =crop-crushing means on the frame and extending transversely thereof at a level above the conveyor means inlet, said crushing means having a front crop inlet and a rear crop outlet and said outlet discharging clear of the conveyor means; crop-collecting means on the frame ahead of the conveyor means and including a rotor on a transverse axis adapted to remove crops from the held and to throw such crops generally tangentially upwardly ahead of said rotor; roof means over the rotor and including a forward section positioned to intercept the thrown crops and directed rearwardly and upwardly to cause the crops to move in a trajectory leading to the crushing means inlet in by-passing relation to the conveyor means, whereby such crops will be discharged via the crushing means outlet; and said roof means having a rear section movable selectively relative to the front section between a first status enabling said trajectory to the crushing means and a second status in which said rear section is directed downwardly below the level of the crushing means inlet and in overlying relation to the conveyor means inlet for modifying said trajectory to deflect crops downwardly and directly into said conveyor means inlet to the exclusion of the crushing means.

2. The invention dened in claim l, including: windrow means behind the crushing means and transversely co-extensive therewith for receiving crops from the crushing means outlet, said windrow means being operative to deliver crops laterally toward one side of the harvester.

3. A harvester, comprising: a moble frame adapted to advance over a eld of crops and having opposite transversely spaced apart sides; a crop-receiving means on the frame at one side thereof; transverse conveyor means on the frame and feeding to the crop-receiving means, said conveyor means having an upper forward crop inlet; crop-windrowing means rearwardly of the conveyor means and having an upper inlet of substantial transverse width and a lower outlet of relatively narrow transverse dimension, said windrowing means being operative to direct received crops toward and for discharge by said lower outlet; crop-crushing means on the frame at a level above both the conveyor means and windrowing means inlet and being substantially transversely coextensive with said windrowing means inlet, said crushing means having a front inlet and a rear outlet; means driving the crushing means to move crops therethrough from front to rear and operative to discharge crops over and rearwardly beyond the windrowing means and in by-passing relation to the windrowing means inlet; cropcollecting means on the frame ahead of the conveyor means and including a rotor on a transverse axis adapted to remove crops from the .field and to throw such crops generally tangentially upwardly ahead of said rotor; roof means over the rotor and including a forward section positioned to intercept the thrown crops and directed rearwardly and upwardly to cause the crops to move in a trajectory leading to the crushing means inlet in bypassing relation to the conveyor means, whereby such crops will be discharged via the crushing means outlet; said roof means having a rear section movable selectively relative to the front section between a rst status enabling said trajectory to the crushing means and a second status' in which said rear section is directed downwardly below the level of the crushing means inlet and in overlying relation to the conveyor means inlet for modifying said trajectory to deflect crops downwardly and directly into said conveyor means inlet to the exclusion of the crushing means; and deilector means selectively movable between a first status enabling the crushing means to discharge rearwardly beyond the windrowing means and a second status disposed upwardly behind the crushing means to intercept the crops discharged by the crushing means so as to detlect said crops into the windrowin means inlet.

4. A harvester, comprising: a mobile frame adapted to advance over a eld of crops and having opposite transversely spaced apart sides; conveyor means on the frame and feeding toward one side of the frame, said conveyor means having a crop inlet; crop-crushing means on the frame spaced from the conveyor means, said crushing means having a crop inlet and a crop outlet and said outlet discharging clear of the conveyor means; cropcollecting means on the frame adjacent to the conveyor eans and including a rotor adapted to remove crops from the field and to throw such crops generally tangentially up'v'ardly; roof means over the rotor and including a lirst section positioned to intercept the thrown crops and to cause the crops to move in a trajectory leading to the crushing means inlet in by-passing relation to the conveyor means, whereby such .crops will be discharged via the crushing means outlet; and said roof means having a second section movable selectively relative to the iirst section between a first status enabling said trajectory to the crushing means an a second status in which said second section is directed away from the crushing means inlet and toward the conveyor means inlet for modifying said trajectory to deflect crops directly into said conveyor means inlet to the exclusion of the crushing means.

5. The invention defined in claim 4, including: windrow means adjacent to and for receiving crops from the crushing means outlet, said windrow means being operative to laterally conne received crops and t-o discharge such crops onto the ground in windrow form.

6. A harvester, comprising: a mobile frame adapted to advance over a eld of crops and having opposite transversely spaced apart sides; a crop-receiving means on the frame at one side thereof; transverse conveyor means on the frame and feeding to the crop-receiving means,

' said conveyor -i eans having an upper forward crop inlet;

croprushng means on the frame and extending transversely thereof at a level above the conveyor means inlet, said crushing means having a front crop inlet and 'a rear crop outlet and said outlet discharging rearwardly over and clear of the conveyor means; crop-collecting means on the frame ahead of the conveyor means and operative to remove crops from the field |and to deliver crops rearwardly toward said conveyor means; and means selectively operative to cause delivery of the crops to the conveyor means inlet exclusively of lthe crushing means or to the crushing rneans inlet exclusively of the conveyor means.

7. A harvester, comprising: a mobile frame adapted to `advance over a field; crop-receiving means on the frame and including an inlet and an outlet, said outlet including a delivery spout for discharge to a receptacle connected -to the frame; crop-crushing means on the frame and including an inlet and an outlet, said crop-crushing means outlet being operative to discharge crops onto the ground in a relatively wide swath; crop-collecting means on the frame for removing crops from the ground in a swath generally corresponding to the aforesaid swath as the harvester advances; and means operative selectively to deliver crops rearwardly from the crop-collecting means exclusively to the crop-receiving means or exclusively to the crushing means.

8. The invention defined in claim 7, including: windrowing ,means carried `byjthe frame for narrowing. the

swathdischarged bythe'crushin'g means, said windrowing means-including a crop" control device selectively operat tiveto-idirect crushed crops into said windrowing means or to dirgect-:jrushed cri-ops directly to the ground exclu-V Y frame and feedingto the crop-receiving means, said con- -ve`yor means havingran upper forward transversely disposed crop inlet; a croptrough' on the frame and extendingtransversely behind the conveyor' means andV having an open Ytogzs'aid *trough having a bottom inclined to the. horizontal and having its lowermost portion at one sideof theframe, and said Vportion having a dis-charge opening theeinleading to the ground; crop-crushing i, means Vpdsit'i'ried above the open top of the trough and rearwardly f the conveyor means inlet, said crushing means having a front inlet and a rear outlet; means drivingthe crushing means to pass crops therethrough from front to rear to ejeet crops over and rearwardly beyond the oneri top of the trough; crop-collecting means on the frame aheadV of the conveyor means andincluding a rotor onv aj transverse axis adapted to remove crops from the fieldV and to throwsuch crops generally tangentia'lly up- Y wardlyl ahead olfV said rotor; roof means over the rotor and including a' forward section'positioned to interceptV the thrown' crops and directed rearwardly Yand upwardly to causeV the crops to move in a trajectory leading to the crushing means'V inlet' in by-'p'assing relation to the conveyorv means, Wherebysuch crops will be discharged via the crushing means outlet; said roof means having a sectionmovable selectively relative to the front section betwee'nja first status enabling said trajectory to the crushing me'n'sca'nd a second status in whichrsaid rear section is directed downwardly below the' level of the crushing means inlet Yand in overlying relation to the conveyor means inlet 'for modifying said trajectory to deilect crops downwardlyand directlyrinto said conveyor means inlet toQthe Vexclusion of the crushing'means; and Vdeiiector means selectively movable between a iirst status enabling the crushingV means to discharge rearwardly beyond the open top vof the windrowing n'ieansY and a second YVstatus disposed upwardly behind the crushing means to inter-Y 8 Y Y versely 'spacedapart sides; crepa:ollettingmeans` un` the frame operative to removey cropsfrom the field and t6 cause such crops to moverearwardly. in a relatively wide stream; relatively wide crop-crushing means on' thefrarir;

, positioned to receive'crops from the crop-collecting meansY and operative to crush and eject the crops rearwardly arid downwardly to the ground as ia continuation of said stream; windrowing means on the frame behind the crushingmeans and having an inlet of sufficient width to receive Y said stream; said inlet being positioned below the stream of crops ejected by the crushing means so that said stream passes over vand rearwardly beyond said inlet; deflectorY means operative in one status to enable ejection of crops over and beyond said windrowing means inlet and operative selectively in another status to deiiect'the fcrop's intoV the windrowing -means via said inlet; and said windrow-V ing means having an outlet materially narrower thanV said stream' and leading to the ground, and means for narrowf ing' the streamto pass through said outlet to the ground `in windrow form.

l1. A'harve'ster, comprising: a mobileY frame adanted to advance yover a iield of crops and Vhaving opposite trans ver'sely spaced apart sides; a crop-receiving means onthe Yframe at one side thereof; transverse conveyormeans on the frame and feeding to the crop-receiving means, said conveyor means having an upper forward crop inlet;

crop-erushing means on theV frame and extending trans-V versely'thereof at al level above the conveyor means inlet,

Y said crushingmeanis' having front crop inlet and a rear rear cept the crops discharged by the crushing V'means so as Y crop outlet and said outlet discharging clear of the con-r veyor means; crop-collecting' means on the -frame Yahead t of the conveyor. means a'n'd including a device adapted to remove crops from'the ield and to throw such crops Y rearwardly toward the conveyor means' inlet; guide means t cooperating' With'the device and including a fixed guiding t ection and a movable guiding section, said movable'guidf t Y ing section being movable selectively relative to the Viieel guiding section between a first status enabling delivery of said crops tothe crushing means in' vby-passirig relation to the conveying` means and a second statusin which' said crops are deliected downwardlyrand directlyv into saidyconveyor means inlet to the exclusion of the crushing means. Vf f i References Cited in the tile of this patent UNTTEDY STATES PATENTS Y Y McElwain f May 9, 1793-9 2,571,652 Bass Y. Oct. 16, 1951 2,641,097 Mast Y-- June 9, 1953: 2,674,839 VRussell Apr. 13, 1954 

